Quiet Skies Caucus (US Representatives)) Letter to the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

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.Iuly 15,2015
The Honorable Bill Shuster
U.S, House of Representatives
2268 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Peter DeFazio
U.S. House of Representatives
2134 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio:
We write as members of the Quiet Skies Caucus, an organization in Congress dedicated to
reducing the impact of aircraft noise on the communities we represent. Every day, millions of
Americans are forced to contend with acute levels of noise from passing aircraft-noise that
disrupts their homes and businesses, negatively affects their health, and reduces their overall
quality of life. We believe the 2015 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthortzatron Act offers
a unique opportunity to address this serious issue and respectfully request that you consider the
following recommendations as you prepare the legislation for introduction:
1. Mandate a robust community engagement process, including pre-decisional public
hearings, for any new flight paths or procedures or changes to existing flight paths
and procedures - Along with improved capacity and fuel savings, the impact of aviation
noise on affected communities should be considered when FAA assesses the overall
benefits of proposed flight path changes. Meaningful, two-way communication with our
communities is vital to ensuring that the concerns of residents are heard and incorporated
into the final design of new airspace. i
2. Require FAA to use supplemental metrics when considering the impact of aviation
noise on affected communities and lower the acceptable DNL threshold from 65 to
55 DNL * FAA's current metric for quantifying aviation noise exposure, Day-Night
Average Sound Level (DNL), reflects mean noise levels and does not adequately capture
the complete effects of noise on affected residents. When considering flight path changes,
FAA should take into account other variables, including the concentration of extended
noise, the frequency of flights, air traffic from 10PM to 7AM and impacts of low-
frequency noise. In addition, FAA should lower the current threshold from 65 to 55 DNL
to reflect the fact that this standard, first established in the 1970's, is arbitrary and does
not align with current health research and the lived experience of families in our
congressional districts.
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2. Clarify that airport operators are legally allowed to implement-and should
strongly consider-mitigation options in communities experiencing aircraft noise
levels of less than 65 DNL - Though FAA is no longer legally barred from doing so, the
agency has resisted funding the mitigation of homes and businesses experiencing aircraft
noise levels below a 65 DNL threshold. For the reasons described above, this metric may
not adequately capture the impact of noise on the lives of affected residents and FAA
should strongly consider allowing airport operators to mitigate residences experiencing
less than 65 DNL where other metrics dictate that such measures are warranted.
Reform Section 213(c)(2) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act af 2012 -This
provision provides a categorical exclusion from adequate environmental reviews for
flight path changes implemented through the NextGen process. It was written in an
overly broad way and should be revisited by your Committee. Environmental reviews
were instituted by Congress to protect Americans from actions that could be detrimental
to their lives, and we believe bypassing such reviews in order to expedite the process will
be materially harmful and could set a dangerous precedent. More broadly, we hope that
the Committee will encourage FAA and its industry partners to continue working to
implement new systems in a manner that takes into account not just safety and efficiency,
but noise as well.
5. Mandate independent research on the health impacts of aviation noise - Few federal
studies have been conducted to measure the health outcomes and consequences of
prolonged exposure to high levels of aviation noise. Better research will help to inform
and improve FAA policies on this important issue.
Thank you for considering these recommendations. We look forward to working with you as
you develop the 2015 FAA Reauthorizationto ensure that this legislation addresses the harmful
impacts of aircraft noise on our communities. r
Sincerely,
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Mike Quigley
Member of Congress
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Ruben Gallego
Member of Congress
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Member of Congress

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